Minneapolis, Minnesota - (Cheap Web Hosting Directory) - April 3, 2007 - Global e-commerce and web hosting outsourcing provider, Digital River, has entered into an e-commerce agreement with global Internet communications company, Skype.

Digital River has created a new site design and added new features such as search-by-product and browse-by-category, for Skype’s U.S. e-commerce store, located at www.skype.com/shop. In addition, Digital River is utilizing its new intelligent sourcing engine to support the physical delivery of Skype products, such as Internet phones, webcams and headsets, from warehouses located across the U.S.

Don Peterson, Senior Vice President of Global Client Development at Digital River remarked, “As more and more consumers shop via the Internet, online merchants are searching for new ways to enhance their e-commerce sites and improve the buying experience. With its enhanced functionality and new shopping options, the new Skype Shop is delivering added conveniences and efficiencies for both Skype and its customers by handling orders in the most timely and cost-effective manner possible.”

Based on the new agreement, Digital River is providing online order management and physical product fulfillment. Skype’s e-commerce site uses Digital River’s new physical fulfillment solution, which includes an intelligent sourcing engine that automatically determines the optimal warehouse source for physical product delivery based on factors such as real-time inventory status, cost of goods and shipping costs. In addition, Digital River is providing Skype with 24×7 customer service and fraud prevention as well as driving online product promotions for the newly enhanced site.

Dave Beckwith, Director of Skype Global Stores added, “Our goal in relaunching the Skype Shop is to make our online store the best and most convenient place for Skype users in the U.S. to purchase Skype Certified devices and accessories so they can enhance their experience using Skype. Digital River presented us with a solution that is helping our customers find products more easily and enabling our business to drive increased sales.”

Founded in 1994, Digital River, Inc., focuses on e-commerce outsourcing, building and managing online businesses for more than 40,000 software publishers, manufacturers, distributors and online retailers. Its multi-channel e-commerce solution, which supports both direct and indirect sales, is designed to help companies of all sizes maximize online revenues as well as reduce the costs and risks of running an e-commerce operation. The company’s comprehensive platform offers site development and hosting, order management, fraud prevention, export controls, tax management, physical and digital product fulfillment, multi-lingual customer service, advanced reporting and strategic marketing services. Digital River is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in major U.S. cities as well as Cologne, Germany; London, England; Shannon, Ireland; Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan.

To learn more about Digital River, please visit: www.digitalriver.com.